Oscar Langendorff is credited with first devising a method to permit investigation of the mechanical activity of the completely isolated mammalian heart. The basic mechanism employed by Langendorff is to force blood or other oxygenated fluid through the coronary vasculature by means of a catheter inserted in the ascending aorta. The oxygen carrying fluid (perfusate) passes through the coronary arteries and coronary veins and exits the coronary sinus, keeping the heart alive. However, during the Langendorff procedure, the ventricular chambers of the heart are essentially empty, and the heart therefore does not beat in a mechanically normal fashion.
In the article “Influence of Mitral Valve Prosthesis or Rigid Mitral Ring on Left Ventricular Pump Function” by van Rijk-Zwikker et al., Circulation Vol. 80, September 1989, Supplement 1, pp. I-1-I-7, a roller pump driven transparent electrolyte circuit including the left atrium and ventricle was added to an isolated heart employing perfusion of the coronary arteries with blood from a support animal. This preparation was employed to study left ventricular function. This same preparation was apparently used to study mitral valve function as describe in the article “Mitral Valve Anatomy and Morphology: Relevance to Mitral Valve Replacement and Reconstruction” by van Rijk-Zwikker et al., Journal of Cardiac Surgery, 1994; 9 (Suppl) pp. 256-261.